Velvet Underground Stars Reteam For Library Chat

November 17th, 2009 SIR PAUL McCARTNEY is to be honoured by the U.S. Library of Congress - he is to become the first non-American to receive the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

November 16th, 2009 Tragic punk icon SID VICIOUS would still be alive and well today if he had met rocker LOU REED - because he would have realised that the drug lifestyle the VELVET UNDERGROUND star sang about wasn't that glamorous, according to SEX PISTOLS bandmate JOHN LYDON. Bass player Vicious died from a drug overdose at New York's Chelsea Hotel in 1979 while awaiting trial for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen and Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, is adamant Vicious was destroyed by his lust for fame.

November 16th, 2009 US Library of Congress to honor Paul McCartneyWASHINGTON — The Library of Congress is awarding Paul McCartney its third Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Librarian of Congress James Billington announced the prize Monday.

November 14th, 2009 Czechs celebrate 20 years since Velvet RevolutionPRAGUE, Czech Republic — Former Czech President Vaclav Havel opened the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Velvet Revolution with a concert attended by celebrities. Underground rocker Lou Reed, soprano Renee Fleming and folk singer Joan Baez performed to a crowd of about 500 gathered at 13th-century church in downtown Prague.

November 10th, 2009 12 charged after library books worth $87K stolenWASHINGTON — Authorities threw the book at 12 people Tuesday, accusing them of checking out pricey textbooks from a public library system outside Washington to sell for quick cash. The Prince George's County Memorial Library System in Maryland lost $87,000 worth of material from thefts between November 2008 and July 2009, county prosecutors said.

November 9th, 2009 Actor JAMES FRANCO is looking to further his education after completing his masters degree - he's enrolling in a doctorate program. The studious star is currently studying filmmaking at New York University while juggling writing classes at Columbia University for a masters of fine arts diploma.

October 31st, 2009 SLIPKNOT star COREY TAYLOR has confirmed he auditioned to take over from SCOTT WEILAND as VELVET REVOLVER's frontman - but was rejected by the band because the try out "just didn't work." The group, led by former Guns N' Roses stars Slash and Duff McKagan, have been auditioning singers since they fired Weiland in April 2008 - but still haven't found the perfect replacement. Taylor admits he was one of the rockers who tried out for the job and was left disappointed when the Slither hitmakers turned him down.

October 15th, 2009 ANDY WARHOL's famed Factory photographer NAT FINKELSTEIN has died. He was 76. Finkelstein died on 2 October (09) due to complications of pneumonia and emphysema, according to his wife.

October 10th, 2009 Harvard to digitize 51,000 rare Chinese booksBOSTON — One of the most extensive collections of rare Chinese books outside China will be freely available as Harvard University has agreed to digitize the titles. Representatives from the Harvard College Library and the National Library of China signed a deal Friday to digitize more than 51,000 volumes in the Harvard collection.

September 25th, 2009 Tupac's mother donates his writing for researchATLANTA — Tupac Shakur's mother has donated a collection of the rapper's writing to the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Atlanta University Center.

September 24th, 2009 LAURA LINNEY is to reteam with her KINSEY director BILL CONDON for a new TV drama, called THE C WORD. Oscar winner Condon will direct the actress in the series, about a wife and mother diagnosed with terminal cancer.

September 6th, 2009 BECK is to re-record LEONARD COHEN's landmark Songs of Leonard Cohen album with famous pals MGMT and DEVENDRA BANHART. The Loser hitmaker plans to make the Cohen project his next Record Club venture - recording all the tracks from the album in a day without rehearsals and releasing them one by one via his website.

September 3rd, 2009 Director JON FAVREAU is in talks to reteam with IRON MAN star ROBERT DOWNEY JR. for a new comic book adaptation of COWBOYS AND ALIENS.

August 31st, 2009 National Book Festival in Washington, Sept. 26WASHINGTON — A slew of celebrity writers from John Irving to Jodi Picoult are scheduled to take part in this year's National Book Festival in Washington, scheduled for Sept.

July 8th, 2009 Clarification: Michael Jackson-National AudienceNEW YORK — In a story July 7, The Associated Press reported that a simulcast of Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, drew only about 10 people. The library now says that viewers of the simulcast grew to about 60 people as the event went on.